Criminal activity in China is rising, especially murder, robbery, bombings, theft, gang activity, juvenile delinquency, and migrant felonies.
Prostitution, gambling, and drug problems persist.
Corruption and bribery is still widespread.
Sixty percent of criminals arrested are minors.
In April 1996 Chinese police launched a nationwide crackdown on serious crime with emphasis on gang-related crimes, those involving guns, and gun manufacture and smuggling.
Many gangs were smashed, arrests made, and many criminals were sentenced to death or life in prison.
Bank robber and killer Liao Yanxiong was executed.
Property, cash, guns, ammunition, gun-making tools, explosives, and vehicles were seized.
Police were often aided by tips from citizens.
China passed new laws to strengthen human rights and amended criminal laws to enhance the fight against organized crime, money-laundering, terrorism, trafficking in illegal immigrants, and environment-related crime.
China plans to crack down on corruption, smuggling, and other economic crimes.
China wants to strengthen international cooperation in fighting crime.
It signed judicial assistance agreements with 28 countries and extradition agreements with ten.
Chinese and Hong Kong police jointly crushed a cross-border gang led by Cheung Tza-keung (Big Spender), which kidnapped tycoons' family members for $205 million ransom, among other crimes.
Cheung incriminated his henchman Chan Chi-ho.
China crushed a mainland gang related to a larger Macao gang and pledged increased anti-crime cooperation with Macao.
It urged Portugal to get tougher on Macao crime before the colony's return to China in 1999, after which China would station troops there and deal more harshly with criminals.
